Taunting the Tigers

Calfgrit7 and I went, with his scout pack, to a carnivore preserve. The site has a couple or three dozen wild cats — ocelots, servals, tigers, and such. (Seven tigers!)

Although all the animals were interesting in their own ways, the tigers were the most amazing to see. To start with, tigers are much bigger in person than they seem on TV. The smallest tiger on the preserve is over almost 500 pounds. The others are 700-800 pounds, and when standing upright (to get food offered up high), they’re about 8 feet tall.

At one point, while looking at the white tiger (shown here), it started stalking the kids lined up in front, at the rope cordon. It’s a bit disturbing to see a tiger’s eyes up close like that, and know that it’s judging which cub scout to eat first.

When the stalking started, the tour guide/animal keeper said it was time for us all to turn our backs on the animal and walk away. So we did so. As we exited the area, Calfgrit7 joked about it.

“Shake our booty,” he said, and wiggled his butt in the direction of the tiger.

“Please, son,” I said, “let’s not taunt the eight hundred pound tiger.”

Bullgrit